The Pathway Ends
by Cinerari
Summary: SSM/GR/CWZ crossover; Tetsuro find himself on an odd planet with a loudmouth boy who seems unable to give him any straight answers as to how they got there.


**Sometimes I write happy stories. Usually I don't. I suppose you could call this one happy in some ways.**

**This is technically a crossover, so if you haven't seen Galaxy Railways or Space Symphony Maetel, you'll likely be confused. Anyway, thank you for reading.**

* * *

"Hey. He-ey! Time to get up!"

Tetsuro blinked a few times, slowly coming back to consciousness. He felt like he'd been sleeping for ages. His whole body was heavy, but comfortably so, yet he couldn't remember falling asleep.

"'bout time!" rang the cheerful, somewhat scratchy voice. "You sure can sleep."

The young brunet found a pair of gray eyes hanging over his own, framed by untamed auburn waves of hair and the bluest sky he'd ever seen. "Huh?" he frowned.

"What do you mean 'huh'? I was wondering when you were gonna wake up, and now you're up." It was a boy, a bit older than him certainly, but no more than sixteen. He wore some sort of animal hide in a band circling his forehead, and he was smiling as though they knew each other well.

Tetsuro slowly pushed himself up to sit. He found himself in an open field with a path and a river nearby. He'd apparently taken a nap under the lone tree in this area, though he still couldn't remember doing that. He couldn't remember this planet either. It was beautiful, green and warm and covered in flowers. The river bubbled in a relaxing tune, with the clearest blue water running through it. Had they landed here? What was their next stop scheduled to be again?

"Where are we?" he asked the lanky boy, who'd taken to watching a butterfly as it fluttered around him.

"Hm?"

"Where are we?" Tetsuro repeated, louder

The stranger glanced around, somewhat confused. "I dunno, where do you think we are?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you!" The shorter boy was quickly growing irritated with his new acquaintance. A straight answer would have been nice.

The elder frowned, tilting his head curiously. "Well I'm not the one who brought us here. I don't know where we are."

"Were you on the three-nine?" Tetsuro questioned skeptically. He certainly didn't remember ever seeing this kid. Maybe he'd gotten on at a recent stop, and they'd just never crossed paths. Maybe he'd snuck onboard.

The stranger's face lit up. "Yeah! That must be why we're together." He stuck out a tan-gloved hand. "The name's Nazca."

"Um…Tetsuro. Tetsuro Hoshino." Without much other choice, he took the boy's hand. It didn't look like he'd be getting many answers out of this weirdo, but he didn't have any other choice. There didn't appear to be anyone else nearby. "Have you seen Maetel?" he questioned.

"Maetel!" Nazca cried, his eyes wide. "I haven't seen her in a while. We can go look for her." He jumped to his feet and shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, looking far off down the path that followed the river.

Tetsuro followed him to his feet and looked down the path as well. There was a small hill not too far off that impeded their sight, so he couldn't see much. "You know her?" he asked, curious.

"Yeah, we're old friends," Nazca grinned. "Come on, if she's here, she'll be down this way."

"How do you know?"

"Because this path is the main road. It's the only way to go really." Taking Tetsuro by the wrist, he led the boy along until they were on the dusty, worn trail. For not knowing where they were, he sure seemed to know where to go.

Tetsuro watched the occasional fish hop from the water as he tried to piece together the last few days. He remembered blurry flashes of something, but what was it? The three-nine…

"We crashed!" he realized. That must have been why his head was so fuzzy. He'd probably hit it. Maybe he was having short term memory loss. He couldn't remember the details of the crash, only the shuddering of the train and the screeching of the brakes.

"Hm," Nazca frowned, his brows drawn in thought.

"Do you know why we crashed?"

"No idea. Could have been a malfunction with the engine, but that's not likely. It's possible you experienced an anomaly, like a storm or an asteroid field you weren't expecting or something."

"I don't know. I just can't remember."

"Your memories not back to you? Don't worry, I'm sure they'll get there. You probably just hit your head. That's not surprising for a crash."

Tetsuro wanted to ask how he'd ended up in a nice field with no crashed train in sight, but Nazca spotted someone down the road and waved eagerly. "Oye!" he yelled, grabbing Tetsuro's wrist to drag him toward the new arrival. "Hey, old man!"

The "old man," who didn't look older than his mid-thirties, was lying comfortably against the bank of the river, a fishing pole perched beside him. Tetsuro thought he looked more interested in watching clouds than actually catching fish. At the sound of Nazca's call, he rolled his eyes their way.

"What is it, kiddo? Did you find someone?"

Nazca stepped down from the path, leading his new friend to his old. "He's from the three-nine. His name's Tetsuro. Tetsuro, this is Zero."

Zero was a tall man with a long face and hair much like Nazca's, except he'd actually bothered to brush it. He frowned at the boy as he sat up. "Awfully young. What's he doing here?"

"There was a crash," Nazca answered. "His memory's a little busted. We're looking for Maetel."

Zero's line started to whir with the sound of a fresh catch, but he didn't even bother to look at the pole. "Haven't seen her, I'm afraid. Hey, kid." He looked to Tetsuro. "You heard of someone named Harlock?"

"Of course!" He considered saying they'd met, but he couldn't be sure it was safe to mention his involvement with a pirate.

"Know how he's doing?"

What a weird question. What a weird place. What weird people. It seemed like everyone knew each other, but he didn't know any of them. He felt like the only one out of the loop. "Good, I guess. I mean, he's doing as well as a wanted pirate can."

Zero laughed. "That's great. As long as he's keeping himself in one piece."

Getting impatient, Nazca grabbed the younger boy's wrist and began dragging him away. "If you start talking with him, he won't shut up," the loudmouth explained. "We need to look for Maetel!"

"Oh, okay." Tetsuro waved to the old man, who calmly nodded in return. "If I see Harlock, I'll tell him hi for you!" the boy called.

"Don't worry, kid," Zero replied with a smile. "I'll tell him myself when he gets here."

Nazca continued on as the sun warmed their backs and trees began to grow up around them. They entered a nice, shady forest with leaves that rustled melodically in the breeze. The river continued alongside them, and Nazca said they could stop for a drink if they wanted.

"The water clean?" Tetsuro frowned. Honestly he wasn't that thirsty, even if they had been walking for some time.

"It's fantastic. Don't worry about it." Tugging Tetsuro along with him, he plopped down by the riverside and scooped up a handful of water to splash his face.

The brunet took a seat beside him and followed suit. The water was wonderfully cool against his skin. This sure was a beautiful planet. He wondered again what it was but guessed asking wouldn't get him anywhere. He should have asked Zero. Probably would have had more luck than with Nazca.

Just as they finished up their break, a pair of footsteps approached them on the path, coming from the opposite direction. When they came into view, Tetsuro blinked. A sense of familiarity hit him, but he swore he didn't know the two. One of them was an SDF member, the other an SPG. They both wore their uniforms, but they chatted idly and didn't appear to be on a mission.

"Hey!" Nazca called out. "You guys seen Maetel?"

The elder, a tall man with age to his face, turned. Tetsuro was overwhelmed with a sense of déjà vu. There was just something so familiar about him.

"Who?" the younger, a twenty-something blond, replied.

"Maetel," Nazca repeated, "tall girl, long blonde hair, black hat, looks real sad all the time."

The elder man shook his head. "I don't recall seeing anyone like that come through here recently."

"She's a three-nine passenger. So is this guy." He cocked a thumb toward Tetsuro.

"Three-nine, eh?" the younger man grinned as he looked to the SDF officer. "Isn't that the one that was always getting into trouble?"

"They all always get in trouble," the elder laughed softly. "But that one in particular was a troublemaker all its own."

"Do you know where it is?" Tetsuro jumped in, hoping to finally get answers. "Is it being repaired at a station nearby? Is everyone okay?"

The younger raised his hands in a lazy surrender under the barrage of questions. "Whoa there, we're not on duty."

"I'm afraid I don't know the whereabouts of it," the elder added. "Was there a crash?"

"That's why he's here," Nazca nodded as he hooked his arm around the shorter boy.

"I'm sorry the SDF failed you, young man," the elder frowned remorsefully as he tipped his cap. It was a captain's hat, Tetsuro realized, and that was a Sirius uniform. But the Sirius captain was…

"Do you have a guy in your platoon named Manabu?" he asked.

The elder's eyes widened, while the younger broke into a grin. "He's in Sirius!? Dad!" he grinned at his father. "He's in Sirius! I can't believe Mom let him!" His father was still too stunned to respond, but his expression eased into a smile. "How is he?" his son asked eagerly.

"He's good…I guess. Sirius saved us once a while back." What was going on? They didn't even know that Manabu was in Sirius? It wasn't as though they were that far from Destiny. The news would have reached them by this point. What was…?

Pieces fell jaggedly into place. These people were Manabu's father and brother. They were familiar because he'd caught glances of him in that tear Shura had made. Manabu's father wasn't carrying a gun, because Manabu had it - a gun that didn't fire as a good luck charm.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be leading him," Nazca scolded the two Railway officers. "You're freaking him out."

"But I-" the younger protested, cutting off when his father grabbed his shoulder and led him on the way they'd been going.

"We can talk more later," the former-captain said. "Don't fret yourself, young man. There's nothing to worry about."

"What…?" Tetsuro whispered, lost.

Again, Nazca took him by the wrist and tugged him back to the path. "Come on, we have to see if Maetel's here."

"Where's here?" the brunet frowned, anger slowly overtaking him. He'd been patient enough. He deserved an explanation, damnit!

"It's wherever you want it to be," Nazca smiled, his voice kind and soothing instead of its usual screechy tone.

It still wasn't a clear answer, and Tetsuro's temper flared. "I'm not going anywhere else until you explain! Let go of me!" He yanked against the grip on his wrist but Nazca refused to free him.

"I can't let go. I have to guide you. It's dangerous to get lost. Now, I promise that all your memories will come back, and everything will make sense if you just come with me. Everything's going to be okay, Tetsuro." He placed his hand to the brunet's shoulder, giving him a sure smile. "Let's go look for Maetel."

That was all Tetsuro wanted now – to know that Maetel was alright. He had to find out, and when Nazca carefully readjusted his grip to take the younger boy's hand, Tetsuro didn't pull away.

They headed back for the trail and walked in silence. The whispering of the trees kept them company along with the soft shifting of dirt beneath their feet with each step. If this place really was wherever he wanted it to be, Tetsuro wondered where his friends were. He would have wanted them with him.

As the trees began to thin, Nazca spoke up. "Tell me how much you remember about the crash. Sometimes that'll help to jog your memory. But be careful or it all might rush back at once. That'll make you real dizzy."

Tetsuro thought back, furrowing his brow as he tried to drag the memories into view. "We were headed toward a planet, but we always are. I don't remember anything being wrong. We didn't pass through anything special, but we did… We were going by this weird planet. When it came into view, I asked Maetel why it looked so strange, because it had a weird shape. And then…"

The train buckled beneath them, the breaks screaming in protest. The boy found himself in the air one moment, then crashing into the ground the next. "M-Maetel!" he yelled. His sight was shaking due to the trembling machinery around him, and he couldn't find her.

"Tetsuro!" she responded from somewhere behind him. "Grab onto something!"

Easier said than done. He clawed for the leg of a seat only for the train to buck again, sending him back to the air. He cried out in surprise, finding himself wondering in that moment of weightlessness what exactly was going on.

He caught a glimpse outside the window of that swirling green planet. It was too close. It was getting closer.

They were falling, crashing.

His back slammed into the floor, and he lay there in a pained daze, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked from his lungs. The train lights flickered as Maetel yelled something to him that he couldn't hear over the roaring in his ears.

Finally her words broke thorough. "Take my hand!" she begged. The boy forced himself to roll over, his body aching at the slightest movements. The train continued to rattle under them, screeching in protest.

Tetsuro's uneven vision caught sight of Maetel, holding her hand out to him. Her face held terror and desperation as she clung to an armrest. He reached for her, crawling across the quaking floor. His fingertips brushed hers, their eyes met, and the train came to a screeching, crashing halt.

"And then you died," Nazca concluded. Tetsuro found himself on his knees with his guide in front of him. Nazca was holding him upright as the memories throbbed in his head. He'd died… He was dead…

"But I…I can't be," he pleaded.

Nazca offered a melancholic smile. "The ones that don't see their death coming always have it the worst. I'm sorry."

"But Maetel!" Tetsuro gasped.

"She's not here. I thought she might be, but it looks like someone else is here for you. Maetel is still on the other side, and I'm sure she misses you. You two must have been close, but don't worry. Someday you'll see her again."

Tetsuro didn't fight the tears rolling down his cheeks. It seemed only fair that he be allowed to cry. "I don't understand. What is this place? Why do I have to be here?"

"You don't have to be. You can be anywhere you want. This world is your paradise. You can make it a sunny landscape filled with flowers or a starry nighttime city. You can go back and start over with a new lot, or you can wait for her. This path is for you and the people you meet on it. I'm here to guide you to the end of it, and what you do from there is up to you. But first we have to reach the end."

Once more, his guide took him by the hand, leading him to the edge of the trees. "You're not alone, Tetsuro. You never have been, and you never will be. We'll all look out for you, so don't cry. It's okay to be happy here."

At the end of the little dusty road was a young woman with long blonde hair and warm, loving eyes. She broke into a smile at the sight of her son. He was here too early, but he was here. He'd certainly grown.

As if in a trance, Tetsuro strode forward, the grip on his hand slipping away. His mother held out her arms, and he rushed forward to meet her at the end of his journey.

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**While I was editing, I realized I'd inadvertently made the boys hold hands for most of the fic. Haha, oops. But I think they'd be the cutest friends. I want to write fics where they're cute friends and not dead, but it's a little difficult.**


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